The title of this years brief being “selfish self service“. We have asked the students to design for the ultimate market of one. Not something they are used to doing! It will be interesting to learn what they require in a self service.

The competition has grown from strength to strength over the last 4 years with interesting approaches to the challenges given to them. We look forward to seeing the results from this years students!

What would be your prefect self-service product/service? Does it already exist?

October 15, 2008

They are on almost every shop counter, outside most museums, in churches to bars. How many of these do we see, walk past or ignore every day?

collection boxes

Is it the design of the collection box that is the problem or our attitude to charity? How could the design and interaction of these prolific objects be improved to encourage people to not only donate, but to do so time after time?

October 2, 2008

I have recently been lucky enough to sit in on a lecture byJayne Wallace from the Culture Lab at Newcastle University. We met at the IPD (Innovative Product Design) studios in Dundee University. Jayne uses probes as a way to learn more from and be inspired by participants in her research.

Cultural Probes

Standard questionnaires are boring and impersonal – as a result responses can be stale and generic. This method of engaging with people allows for a truly personal and more creative interaction and response.

I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has tried to use this method in a hard edged engineering institution or international cooperation. Was it of use to you to better understand your consumers? Did you get inspiration from the output? Was it even suitable as a research method in such an environment? Part of the battle may be trying to sell the method internally.

October 1, 2008

Earlier this year colleagues and I attended a Make Do workshop run by Angus Colvin. Angus aims to encourage creativity and communication in his workshops through the creation of 3D objects.

Make Do

The relaxed creative atmosphere of the workshop meant that it was universally enjoyed by all that attended. It really made us realise that we could never have expressed ourselves in such a fun, abstract or imaginative way if we were asked to sketch our ideas. Working with the plasticine allowed us not to be precious and just enjoy the experience. Check out more photos on flickr